Zonlest (were-creature)
These are your were- based creatures. Werewolves, werebears, were...parrots? why not. These differ greatly enough from other shifters for reasons detailed below that they now have their own race. History The history of Were's are intametly tied into the Moon Goddess, Luna. "There was a tale that spoke of 'When books were Written by rabbits.' The tale goes that in the days of the older gods, man hunted down animals relentlessly for their pelts, for their meat, and eventually purely for sport on every full moon. They hunted them until even the mice became scarce and the balance of the entire ecosystem, of prey and predator, was threatened. "The first wolf howled to the moon and sky, pleading for any help whose ears might hear that lonely cry. His call was answered by Luna, goddess of the moon, who fell from the sky like a falling star and crashed into the wolf, becoming part of it. Luna-in-the-wolf lead the animals and taught them and showed them how to make tools. Those animals that learned from her she gave them the choice to stay as they were or accept the power to hide as man, but only on the full moon when her powers were their strongest. Some animals came to accept this, while others rejected such an idea. "Ages passed and man became fearful of hunting these animals during the full moon. Many of the hunting parties were attacked and slaughtered, and those who lived bore a curse that ravaged their villages at first. Those that survived the attacks and had been bitten or scratched by these man-shifters became the first Zonlests. These are creatures that, on every full moon, were forced into a dire form of whatever animal attacked and bit and/or scratched them. "Time continued to pass and as the animal population grew again, the need for them to hide as men during the full moon came to pass, until there were non of these man-shifters left. When Luna-in-the-wolf was allowed back into the heavens, the Zonlest curse stayed int he lives of man to serve as a reminder of the balance they upset." Habitat A Zonlest can live in any location that their base race could. An elf that has become a Fox Zonlest can live just fine in the wods, for example. There are plausible exceptions, such as a Sandrean being cursed as a non-water-breathing Zonlest such as a Bear. During the full moons they most certainly would want to be in shallow water. The opposite would go for any land dweller. Abilities & Weaknesses 1) Like a Taltzschim (Zoanthrope), a Zonlest has three forms. *Base Race - What you were before you were bit) **0% boosts that your animal form might bring. (strength, senses, etc.) *Halfway - like an Anthro/Furry, only far more feral looking. Larger, bigger, etc.) **50% boosts that your animal form might bring. *Dire form - Your animal form (whatever bit/scratched you) only much bigger than the standard animal. **100% boosts that your animal form might bring. 2) Like a Taltzschim, a Zonlest's can transform at will. They cannot, however, resist their cursed transformation during a full moon. 3) Unlike a Taltzschim, when a Zonlest DOES transform at will, they risk the chance of beserking in any transformation except for returning to their base race. *Beserking is at player's discression OR based on a d100 system in which 80 - 100 causes beserking **This IS meant to be considered a weakness and should be played out. 4) You have the ability to spread your curse through bite or scratch that draws blood on your victim. 5) In any form You ARE weak against silver. It burns you like Iron does a Fae causing extreme and often debilitizing pain. Notes Age Becoming a Zonlest does not increase your base race's age. Height Varies during transformation. Weight Varies during transformation. Diet During transformation, any meat. Alive or dead, you don't care, though the ones with a heartbeat are more fun to hunt. Breeding The base race may become a half-breed, but the animal side of things cannot be. *i.e. you cannot be half were-giraffe and half were-rhino. *However, being half-human, half-demon is fine The curse has a 50/50 chance (this may be changed) of spreading to your off-spring at brith. Category:Races